Teatro Della Morte
by Kayje De La Rosas
Summary: Katrina Norton has lived the past six years in a cell and has been experimented on under the watchful eyes of William Stryker, now that she is free she wants to make sure that never happens again. With help from some new friends..
1. Prologue

**Teatro Della Morte**

Prologue

The silence which Katrina walked through, terrified her right through to her soul. Something wasn't right; the coldness of the snow beneath her bare feet was freezing her heart. Dreamscaping wasn't helping her situation since she was so weak and she was aware of that much, but why wasn't it working, even just a little bit? Katrina forced herself forward, the taste of the metallic tang of the blood from her face lingered in her mouth, memories dancing in her mind as she walked. She was very much alone and afraid and she didn't understand what had just happened she lost control but couldn't remember what exactly happened; all she knew was that they'd all turned on her and left her out here just about naked in the barren, snow covered waste land miles away from civilization. Why had they set her free? Or more importantly, why had they set her free to die alone? They could have killed her back at the facility like the others, at least then she wouldn't have been so alone. Katrina was weak, a plus for death to set in quicker, she thought as she stumbled slightly. She felt the strangely comforting warmth of tears as in her mind she saw her mother and father.  
"I don't want to go," She whispered as the tears streamed down her face. "I don't want to go without finding some peace. I've suffered enough don't you think!" She wept.  
The night air was bitter and as the light gusts of wind blew on Katrina, she felt like her whole body was being stabbed at. Snowflakes blew in with the wind, and Katrina watched them dance and float in front of her. As the new snow fall got heavier, her steps were getting harder and harder to take. Visibility dropped and Katrina was unsure how long she had left, but still she kept walking through her pain and tears.  
"Hail Mary, Full of Grace," She spoke gently through her shivers. "The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death..." Katrina now whispered through her shivers as her steps became still. Katrina looked up at the snow falling, her eyes struggling to focus. "Amen." Visibility in front of her was now gone and Katrina could go no further. The wind was now howling around her as she brought her freezing cold hands to her ears to block out the sound, she couldn't decide if she was shaking because she was cold or because she was scared, probably cold more than anything, she thought as she fell to the ground, defeated. She closed her eyes and sighed, "Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus…" She stopped midway through her prayer and opened her eyes. The snow had stopped falling; the wind had stopped howling and beside her a white haired woman crouched beside Katrina. She smiled as she wrapped a blanket around Katrina. "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen." She said as she gently picked Katrina up. "You're safe now." She spoke gently at the freezing Katrina. "I'll look after you." The woman turned and walked as Katrina managed to force a small smile at her.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The cramped form of Prisoner 898 lifted her heavy, painful head and sighed. The cold stone floor beneath her made no comfortable bed, but it was where she had slept for six years. Even though she was imprisoned in the damp old military base just west of Alkali Lake it was more or less home to her now and along with all the experimentations and beatings it's all Prisoner 898 or Katrina Norton knew since her parents died those long years ago.

William Stryker had saved her from the care homes of Britain, claimed to be a distant relative of her father's and had come to take her with him to his home in America. His fake papers and lies were believed and Katrina was taken to the base, strapped up to a neuroinhibitor and continually tested on; all in the name of cleansing the world from mutants. Katrina was constantly referred to as a mutant; and short from understanding why, she didn't quite understand what was going on around her as she was always doped up to stop her from feeling pain and most importantly to stop her dreaming.

Dreaming, that's what started it all.

The remnants of the dream in which she killed her parents, tormented her mind every waking hour. It happened and she was there, she survived just like in her dream. Dreamscaping is what she'd called it Astral Planing is what Stryker had called it; the telepathic projection of a wanted reality. She'd never used it in her own time, always forced to in tests. She didn't know what she could do, or what she couldn't, only that she couldn't bring back the dead.

Katrina's cell mate, Prisoner 1006 or to use her actual name, Natalie 'Flare' Davis was the closest person to a friend Katrina had. Always positive and cheery, she offered a respite in a world filled with doom, fear and constant screaming. Katrina rubbed her temple as she stood up and stretched her aching body.  
"What are you thinking about Trina?" Her cell mate asked calmly, Katrina looked up sadly as she rubbed her head in pain.  
"How long we've got left here, Flare." She sighed. One thing Katrina knew was what happened to the subjects when their experiments were finished with. The fight to the death was horrific, 'expired' test subjects were dragged to a huge room after their last test and whilst being watched by the fellow prisoners forced to fight to the death with the guards who were always armed. It didn't matter who or what you were, you would be slaughtered like an animal. Flare was still new to this; she hadn't experienced it yet and wouldn't have to deal wither own fight to the death for a long time yet.  
"Hmm," Flare dismissed the comment and smiled cheerily. "We've got to make the most of the time we've got together, you never know you might go free one day."  
Katrina smiled at Flare's naivety as she watched her play with the water flowing down the wall. Flare also wore a neuroinhibitor; it seemed to dampen her powers as well as Katrina's did hers.  
Flare could manipulate fire to her will; even create it with a snap of her fingers, Katrina had only seen it once, when Flare was first brought in during one of Katrina's tests. She'd put up a fight just wasn't prepared for the neuroinhibitor being forced on her head.  
"You're always so positive." Katrina smirked as the door opened and Colonel Stryker walked in.

"How are you this morning 898?" Stryker smiled as he crouched beside Katrina.  
"Very well Stryker Sir." '898' answered dutifully to the man crouched beside her.  
"Your term is coming to an end; you'll soon be free to go." Stryker smiled sinisterly.  
"I am not naïve enough to believe this, but all the same I will be thankful." Katrina replied.  
"You are a good girl." Stryker smiled. "Your last test begins soon 898. The guards will be along soon to collect you."  
"Yes Sir." Katrina dutifully replied. "I look forward to it."

Stryker stood and left the cell leaving Katrina to put her head in her hands and sigh at the thought of the immanent death she was left to face. She stood up and began to pace the cell trying to settle her aching head and racing thoughts. Flare seemed not to notice the growing look of distain on Katrina's face as a new set of footsteps came closer towards the cell door.

The door opened and a white coated scientist flanked by two armed guards stood in the door way.  
"Prisoner 898, please follow me." The scientist ordered menacingly.  
"I'll be back soon Flare." Katrina said gently as she walked to the door. She held her arms out to be chained to the guards. She wasn't going to fight it any more, not now, it was too late and even if she wanted to, the pain in her head was horrific.

The long walk through the winding corridors of the facility was bittersweet for Katrina and most of the others seemed to know what occasion was coming.  
"Make it count!" A voice shouted from behind a door as she passed.  
"Shut it Prisoner 965." One of the two guards spat back.  
"I am not a number, my name is Aegle!" The voice screeched in anger.  
"Quiet now 965 or we'll have to sedate you again." The guard snapped.

"Aegle is right, I am not a number. None of us are numbers, and we are not experiments, we are humans." Katrina thought to herself as she was dragged along the last corridor. The pain in her head was becoming more intense as she came closer and closer to the testing labs. The walk seemed to take forever and when they finally reached the testing lab Katrina was going to be experimented on, Katrina could barely see straight.

"Strap her into the chair boys." The scientist ordered as he sorted out the various tools on the tray sat on his desk.  
Katrina was lifted and forced down onto the chair; she didn't fight like she used to as she was being tightened into the chair by the guards.  
"Don't give up on me now 898." The scientist sighed mockingly as the two guards stepped back to let him approach Katrina syringe in hand. "I'd grown fond of our little arguments."  
Katrina flinched as he drew closer.  
"You're awfully quiet on me today." He laughed in her face. "One last test and then we're all done here. It'll be a shame really, because I enjoy seeing, you and your extraordinary mutation especially, suffer."  
Katrina gazed into the scientist's eyes as he plunged the syringe into her restrained and exposed wrist. She cried out in pain as the mixture of chemicals was injected into her veins. The scientist stepped back as Katrina writhed in agony.  
"Pain is temporary, 898, but your infliction is incurable. That is why you and your kind must be erased from this world of humans. It is a terrible thing, I know, but I must do what is right." The scientist sighed as Katrina's pain passed.  
"Remove the neuroinhibitor. She'll be in a safe working mind set." He ordered to one of the guards.  
A guard stepped beside Katrina and tapped in the code to unlock the neuroinhibitor; it clicked and was pulled off Katrina's head forcefully.  
Immediately Katrina groaned in pain, her head pounded more and more. She closed her eyes to block out the light and images instantly danced in her head.

Fire. The scientist was on fire, the guards too. Her head pounded more and more, the image became more real and she could almost feel the fire burning at her head. She forced open her eyes to see the scientist stood watching her as she panicked.  
"Has it only just dawned on you that you're going to die, 898?" The scientist laughed. As she snapped her eyes shut again. The pain in her head was becoming unbearable and the image flashed round her head again. She kept her eyes shut, tightening them more and more until she couldn't do it anymore. She screamed; rage, fear and agony rolled into one, tears streamed down her face. She wasn't sure what was going on anymore, she wasn't even sure what she was thinking anymore, was it the chemicals doing this or was it the same thing that happened to her parents?  
She opened her eyes and the image of fire danced behind them. She watched as the scientist approached her again, almost laughing as he did. He looked straight into her eyes.  
"That's odd, 898's eyes have changed colour." He remarked inquisitively.  
Anger swept over Katrina as Aegle's comment bounced round her head. Fire danced in her eyes the pain overwhelming her as she roared "I. Am. Not. A. Number! I am Teatro!"  
Katrina blacked out from the pain in her head, her head lolling lifelessly as fire engulfed the scientist and the guards and nothing else.

"I am going to make sure you suffer." Stryker hissed. "You took out a good scientist with that little prank of yours and now you are going to pay."  
Katrina was still strapped to the chair when she came to, her head still pounded slightly and she was extremely disorientated, and she had no idea what had just happened, Stryker wasn't impressed, something had gone terribly wrong.  
Stryker had turned to one of his guards, and was talking quietly enough for Katrina to not hear it. The guard nodded and saluted as Stryker left the room. He made his way towards Katrina and raised the butt of his gun hesitating slightly as he smashed it into Katrina's face leaving her out cold.

When Katrina awoke again she was more or less naked, cloth just about covered her chest and bottom, hands bound and in a 4x4 heading out over the snow covered tundra.  
"What's happened?" She murmured. "And where are we going?"  
"Your time with us has come to an end." A masked man growled as the vehicle came to a halt. "You are free to go."  
"Free? You can't just leave me out here, miles from anywhere, come on just shoot me!" Katrina pleaded.  
"We can't, Stryker's orders." The masked man growled again. "Think of this as your punishment, Teatro."


End file.
